title: Efficient temporally-controlled targeted mutagenesis in smooth muscle cells of the adult mouse.
abstract: To generate temporally-controlled targeted somatic mutations selectively and efficiently in smooth muscles, we have established a transgenic SMA-Cre-ER(T2) mouse line in which the expression of the Tamoxifen-dependent Cre-ER(T2) recombinase is under the control of a large genomic DNA segment of the mouse smooth muscle alpha actin (SMA) gene, contained in a Bacterial artificial chromosome (Bac). In this transgenic mouse line, Cre-ER(T2)-mediated recombination of LoxP-flanked target DNA is strictly Tamoxifen-dependent, and efficient in both vascular and visceral smooth muscle cells. Moreover, with the exception of few cardiomyocytes, LoxP-flanked DNA excision is restricted to smooth muscle cells. Thus, SMA-Cre-ER(T2) mice should be of great value to analyze gene function in smooth muscles, and to establish new animal models of human smooth muscle disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Functional Genomics, IGBMC (Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire), Illkirch, F-67400 France.
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Wendling
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bornert
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chambon
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Metzger
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D016296:Mutagenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors